Common Noun

Speaking English the correct way depends upon your knowledge of grammar. The rules of grammar define how punctuation, spellings, articles, conjunctions, adjectives, pronouns, nouns etc. are used. Nouns are very important when it comes to English. Nouns are of various types- proper, common, abstract and concrete. In this blog, we are going to tell you about the Common Noun in detail.

Before we start, take the following sentence as an example to understand Nouns.

I am going home.

Here, home is the subject and the noun. Without the noun, the sentence would be left incomplete.

Check out the Best English Grammar Books to stay on top of your English skills.

Speaking English the correct way depends upon your knowledge of grammar. The rules of grammar define how punctuation, spellings, articles, conjunctions, adjectives, pronouns, nouns etc. are used. Nouns are very important when it comes to English. Nouns are of various types- proper, common, abstract and concrete. In this blog, we are going to tell you about the Common Noun in detail.

Before we start, take the following sentence as an example to understand Nouns.

I am going home.

Here, home is the subject and the noun. Without the noun, the sentence would be left incomplete.

Check out the Best English Grammar Books to stay on top of your English skills.

What is a Common Noun?

A Common Noun is defined as a generic name for a person, place, class in a group or thing. Let us understand this better with some examples. 

• The cat drank the milk. 
• Where is the child going?
• The boy in the white shirt won the award. 

A sentence can have more than one Common Noun. Let us quickly go through the sentences and identify them.

• The cat drank the milk.
• Where is the child going?
• The boy in the white shirt won the award.

Common Noun vs Proper Noun

While the former is a generic name for an place, animal or thing, a Proper Noun is a specific name that can identify an individual out of a group. Here is a sentence where the underlined is a Common Noun while the bold one is a Proper Noun. 

• Last night, Stella gave birth to a baby boy. 

Here, Stella is a specific name of a woman and baby & boy are generic names. Hence, Stella is a proper noun in that sentence baby and boy are both common nouns.

Also Read: How to Use Prepositions Correctly?

Types of Common Noun 

Well, Common Nouns also have different types and they are-

Countable Common Noun

The nouns that can be counted are known as Countable. Let us understand these a bit more with examples.

For example:

• 10 trees were planted in the garden today.
• London is 100 miles away from Cardiff.

Uncountable Common Noun

These are the exact opposite of Countable nouns. Uncontable nouns cannot be counter in terms of exact numbers. They have to be measured in terms of quantities rather than numbers.

For example: 

• A package of beans arrived yesterday.
• The stars shine bright in the night. 

Collective Common Noun 

You can call a group or a unit that are similar by a Collective Common Noun. 

For example:

• A pack of wolves raided their camp last night. 
• My family is going to fly down from New York today.

Concrete Common Noun

These are things that can be felt with our senses and have a physical presence.

For example:

• The cheese is stale. 
• I watched the movie on my computer.

How to Use Common Noun?

Common Nouns should be used carefully as they form the structure of any sentence. Without a them, the motive of the sentence remains incomplete.

For example:

• Princess Sofia said, “I want to eat.”

Here, there is no Common Noun here. Therefore, there is no clear indication about what Princess Sofia wants to eat. 

Therefore, whenever you use the English Language, writing or speaking, make sure to use the correct Common Noun at the correct place.

Exercises

Identify the Common Noun

Now that we have discussed the subject in detail, are you ready for a quick exercise?

Identify the Common Nouns from the list of sentences given below- 

1. She sold earthen pots for a living.
2. What is your name, little girl?
3. My father was a brave soldier who won many battles.
4. Both the brothers studied in the same school and the same college.
5. A pride of lions killed a jaguar in the jungle.
6. I am going to London for my vacation.
7. The class was led by Mrs Brown.
8. The museum had many exhibits including reptiles, aquatic birds and butterflies.
9. Why cannot I go to the party with my friends?
10. We walked the desert till late evening and slept under the stars. 
11. Once upon a time, there was a prince named Prince Charming.
12. If I don’t eat breakfast, I will feel hungry the entire day.
13. The warrior practised sword-fighting every morning.

We hope that you identified all of them correctly! Check the answer here.

Exercise: Sentence Correction for Competitive Exams

Worksheets for Class 3

Worksheets for Class 4

Common Nouns weave other parts of grammar to create a sentence. We hope that you enjoyed our blog. Check out these other related blogs to improve your English.

• How to Speak Fluent English in 30 Days?
• Career in Functional English
• Must-Know GMAT Sentence Correction Rules

If you want to test the Grammar Nazi in you, take this Grammar Test now!

This was all of the important information about Common Nouns. If you need help with admissions to your dream university abroad, just call us at 1800572000 and we will take care of the rest. Book your free counselling with LeverageEdu today.